Easy peasy lamb gyroburgers
For meat patties:
2 lbs ground lamb
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp Greek or Mediterranean seasoning
For quickie tzatziki sauce:
2 cups plain greek yogurt
2 tsp minced garlic (or to taste)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp dill weed (or to taste)
For marinated cukes:
1 english cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T olive oil
Other fixings:
6 pita flatbreads or 3 pita pockets
1 container feta cheese crumbles
3 cups mixed baby greens
2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
Combine all items for the tzatziki well, then refrigerate. It can be last minute but if you have time, at least an hour is nice.
Combine all items for the marinated cukes, add salt and pepper to taste, and let it sit on the counter (or fridge if desired) while preparing the rest.
Combine lamb, seasoning, and garlic into bowl and hand mix well. Shape into 6 patties (I got in the habit of making 12 smaller patties when my big kids were teens so they could make two sandwiches if they wanted). Grill/griddle for 6 minutes per side or until there’s no more pink in the center.
Stuff pita pockets or build flabread sandwich roll with patty/ies, greens, feta, tomatos, marinated cukes and onions, and tzatziki sauce.
Adaptations: Ground beef or chicken works well for these too. For vegan/vegetarian, I roast cauliflower with cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika to use as the filling, or falafel is awesome too.
For a side dish/accent my family loves crunchy chickpeas with this. Which is also easy:
Roasted chickpeas (for my fam of 6 I double this because they don’t last long)
1 15 oz can chickpeas/garbanzos
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Thoroughly rinse, drain, and then dry the chickpeas. You don’t want extra moisture otherwise they won’t crisp up, so I would allow maybe an hour or so while they dry (and I do kind of move the around on paper towels, switching them out when they are wet, and waiting until the paper towels don’t get wet when you put them on it.
Preheat oven to 400.
Cover baking sheet with oil and then spritz lightly with cooking spray.
In a small bowl mix cumin, paprika, garlic, onion, coriander, salt, and pepper together to combine. Set aside.
Bake dried chickpeas in the preheated oven on prepared baking sheet for 15 minutes.
Remove chickpeas from oven and drizzle with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, stirring gently so that all chickpeas are evenly coated. If necessary add more oil but only a drop at a time, you want the bare minimum of oil here, just enough to get the spice blend to stick.
Add spice mix and stir evenly to coat.
Return to oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes until desired crispness is reached. Turn off oven, crack the door open, and then let cool. Remove cooled chickpeas from oven and enjoy!